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Basic Site Details

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
	Classification	Original classification?	Notes
	Faculty building
	University

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
	Address	Main entrance?	Notes
	George Square

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
	From	To	Event type	Notes
	25 February 1959		Scheme accepted	George Sq. Faculty of Arts buildings, incl. 14-storey block, approved in principle by Edinburgh Corporation Planning Committee per Builder 6 Mar 1959 p477
	6 March 1959		Scheme accepted	Edinburgh Corporation Planning Committee approved in principle; incl. 14-storey block at George-sq. and closure of certain streets; work in three stages; car parks included per Builder p477-478
	1960	1963	Build/construction
	January 1960		Proposed	Arts faculty - Stage I - £170,000 (proposed total Exchequer grant), £80,000 (instalment of grant required for 1960-61 to complete project) per Builder 1 Apr 1960 p654
	1 April 1960		Scheme accepted	Edinburgh Planning Committee recommends approval of scheme to the Town Council per Builder p675
	30 September 1960		Build/construction	foundation work to start in November at cost of £30,000; 14-storey tower to accommodate Modern and Oriental Languages, English Lit, Classics and Philosophy will be 150 ft. high of reinforced concrete faced with glass, aluminum, slate and stone at est. cost of £500,000 per Builder p636
	November 1960		Destruction/demolition	Demolition of the older square has been in progress since November 1960.
	18 November 1960		Contract offered	£30,000 contract for foundation work awarded to Crudens Ltd, Musselburgh; first phase of £1 mil. arts tower scheduled to be complete by 1962, with later phases into 1966 per Builder p956
	1962		Build/construction	A new 14 storey building for Edinburgh University Arts Department. 150 feet high in r.c. faced with glass, aluminium slate and stone.

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
	Name	Role	Partnership Group	From	To	Notes
	Euan Kidston Colam	Architect	A	1960	1961	As assistant architect with RMJM.
	Robert Matthew Johnson-Marshall (RMJM)	Architectural practice	A	1960	1961	Continued under subsequent practice title
	Blyth & Blyth	Architectural practice		18 November 1960		per Builder p956
	Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners (RMJM)	Architectural practice	A	1961	1963
	John Deacon Richards	Architect	A	c. 1960		Richards succeeded Steedman as Matthew's chief assistant (and later project architect) for the project.

Related Buildings, Structures and Designs

Parent Structure and Site

This structure is related to the following parent structure or site (click the item to view details):
	Building name	Notes
	University of Edinburgh, George Square Redevelopment

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
	Author(s)	Date	Title	Part	Publisher	Notes
	Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, A	1996	A History of Scottish Architecture			p447
	Glendinning, Miles	1997	Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75		Tuckwell Press Ltd	p16 p165-7 University of Edinburgh George Square Redevelopment
	Glendinning, Miles	2008	Modern architect: the life and times of Robert Matthew		RIBA Publishing	pp251-57
	West, T W	1967	A history of architecture in Scotland		London	p189

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
	Periodical Name	Date	Edition	Publisher	Notes
	Builder	6 March 1959			'University Block Approved' p477
	Builder	6 March 1959			p477-478
	Builder	19 June 1959			'George Square, Edinburgh' p1079
	Builder	1 April 1960			'University Building Projects' p654; summarizes Civil Estimates for Education, 1960-1961, published on March 18
	Builder	1 April 1960			'George Square Development' p675
	Builder	15 April 1960			'Edinburgh AA Year Book' p727; year book no 4, 1960 includes full account of George Square project
	Builder	30 September 1960			'University Development Award' p636
	Builder	18 November 1960			p956
	Builder	9 February 1962			p324
	Concrete Quarterly	1964			'New buildings in Scottish universities' Franck, N (1964) April- June 1964 pp14-15
	Prospect	1990			p13 Spense, I (1990) 'Observations on controls and influences'

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
	Source	Archive name	Source catalogue no.	Notes
	Courtesy of Euan Colam	Interview of Euan Colam by Kirsten McKee		3 December 2008

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